Unravelling Ms Campbell
by sdbubbles
Summary: A night in the pub reveals more about Serena Campbell than she would like.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, my friends. Well, this is just a bit of silliness, but I could help myself. I hope you like it :)**

**Sarah x**

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Serena sat down next to Jac with the biggest glass of wine she'd had in a long time. Two more weeks. Two more weeks and everything would go back to normal. Edward would change hospitals again and leave her alone. He was lucky to be alive. There had been a few instances she had daydreamed about the most brutal ways to murder him just for some peace and quiet.

Boiling him from the inside out and leaving no forensic evidence was currently the most appealing option.

She handed Jac her glass of Diet Coke and sighed, "I wonder if you can re-divorce your ex-husband just for the satisfaction of it."

"And that helps matters how, exactly?" retorted Jac, a red eyebrow raised at her as Jonny chucked her a bag of crisps and a Mars Bar, sitting in a tub chair next to the sofa while Serena and Jac claimed the comfy leather couch.

"It would make me _feel_ better," she explained. "And it might just save his life, because right now the only thing that sounds as much fun as putting Edward Campbell through another divorce is to kill him slowly and painfully," she joked, though Jac looked rather startled by her sudden brutality.

Just then, a number of her colleagues wandered in, Jonny shouting them over to the corner of the pub they had abducted.

Mo, Chantelle, Harry, Michael and..."Henrik?" Serena spluttered incredulously, almost choking on her wine. She had only managed to get him to a bar once and she had had to disguise it as some stupid work meeting with the juniors.

"Nurse Lane hijacked me on my way to my car," he muttered darkly. Jac and Serena glanced at each other as he sat in the tub chair to Serena's left; both women started to giggle at the look Hanssen directed at Chantelle.

"Laugh all you want," he said. "Edward's on his way over."

That silenced Serena abruptly. She considered legging it right now but knew it would be just her luck to run into him at the door. Not to mention that she'd look like the insecure little lady who wasn't quite over the ex-husband, a role she would not play in front of the colleagues who were meant to respect her. She wasn't going to tolerate it. Well, she promised herself that now, she knew he would do what he always did and charm everyone around him until she had no choice but to let him tell his stories.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she spotted Edward walk in and pull up a chair between Chantelle and Harry, an arm casually slung around each of their shoulders. She should have known he would get on with the youngsters; he still acted like one himself. "Grow up," she muttered under her breath.

"Sorry, Serena," Edward smiled. "Didn't quite catch that."

All eyes fell on Serena. "Nothing," she dismissed. "Still drinking vodka and coke?" she asked sweetly as an excuse not to admit what she had really said, adding in her head that she'd rather have him wear it than drink it. She got up and went to the bar, ordering a vodka and coke, resisting the overwhelming temptation to throw it at Edward when she handed the glass to him.

"Thanks, love."

"Don't push your luck," she snapped.

"Can't push something you don't have," he pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders.

She sat down and glared at him, feeling the uncertain tension of her colleagues, not to mention Henrik and Michael's cynical amusement. Michael was grinning openly, and she had to forgive him for it because he was strangely adorable when he was happy, but the smirk Hanssen was wearing was enough to make a saint lose their temper.

"It's not a lack of luck you suffer from," she retorted. "It's a lack of brain cells." Her comment reduced Jonny, Jac and Mo into fits of laughter, and everyone bar herself, Henrik and Edward followed suit, though even Edward was smiling. "I'm going to kill you for hiring him," she grumbled to Hanssen.

"I didn't know he's your ex-husband, did I?!" he defended himself.

"It's called 'research,'" she replied, taking a drink from her glass. "The name might have set off some alarm bells, surely?"

"It's a common name."

"Common name, my arse," she snorted.

"It is!"

She was unaware that the rest of them had continued conversing without her until everyone's attention turned to Jac and Jonny, and Serena was thankful Edward had laid off her for now. "So when's the baby due?" Michael asked interestedly. While everyone now knew Jac was pregnant, they had not heard much about it from the woman herself.

"January," Jac answered, and Serena sensed her discomfort. "By which time I'll be the size of a house," she added grouchily.

"Comes with the territory," Serena replied, trying to cheer the younger woman up. "I put on loads of weight carrying Eleanor. Though that might have had something to do with the Nutella."

"And the pizza," Edward reminded her.

"And the chocolate."

"And the curries."

"And the cheese on toast."

"And the chocolate cake you sent me to Tesco for at one in the morning," Edward recalled the time she had nagged him, six months pregnant, until he got out of bed and got her some cake. This was the first instance since he'd shown up that they had reminisced with no animosity. "You would have had a dozen children if it wasn't for-"

"Shut it," she snapped before he could tell everyone the reason she only had one daughter when she had wanted more kids. Her sudden aggressiveness made Chantelle jump, so she gave the young nurse a look of apology before returning her iciest glare to Edward. Just when they were getting on, he always had to go and ruin it with that big mouth of his!

"If it wasn't for what?" Michael asked; he was the only one who wasn't really scared of Serena and therefore had the backbone to ask what everyone wanted to know.

"Oh, well done," she sneered at Edward. "Go on then. You might as well. Can't leave them wondering."

Edward sighed when he realised that Serena still hated talking about her invisible condition and its few consequences. "Serena has spina bifida occulta," he explained. "Carrying children puts too much strain on her back for it to be safe."

"Oh!" Michael exclaimed. "She's hidden it well. Wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me."

"She's got the latex allergy to go with it," Edward added.

"Hello!" Serena waved both her arms in frustration. "I _am_ still here!"

Serena leaned her elbow against the arm of the sofa, groaning inwardly as she rested her head in her hand. "You never said anything," Hanssen whispered.

"Why would I? You're hardly my biggest fan," she reasoned with him. "This is going to be a nightmare. I'll have no secrets left by the time he's finished." She glanced up to see Hanssen smiling quietly to himself. "Don't make me wipe that smirk off your face." She drained her glass, knowing it probably wasn't wise to drink so much so quickly, but she _really_ didn't care at that moment.

She felt Jac's hand on her arm and turned slowly to see her looking genuinely concerned. "Are you alright with this or do you want me to break his face for you?" she asked quietly. A smile spread across Serena's face at the offer but, as tempting as it was, she knew Edward better than to think a bloodied nose would shut him up. There was more than one way to skin a cat, and to skin this one she had to play him at his own game.

"It's fine." She glanced at Jac's empty glass bottle and added, "Want another? I'm going to need a whole bottle at this rate." She placed a hand on Henrik's shoulder as she got to her feet and asked him, "What are you wanting to drink?"

"Whatever you're having," he replied. Well, that was easier than she had expected, at least. She wandered over to the bar, wondering how she was going to make it through tonight without spilling _all_ of Edward's secrets. She reminded herself that some of them concerned her and were unpleasant to relive, but his earliest demonstrations of stupidity at Harvard and early on in their marriage could be entertaining at only his expense.

She moaned to herself and came back with three drinks in between her hands. Hanssen took his quickly so she didn't drop them and she sat down and handed Jac her Diet Coke – apparently she preferred to drink it out of the bottle rather than pour it in a glass.

"...so we're in this garage, and she's arguing with this poor apprentice," Edward recounted to his colleagues. He had Michael, Harry, Mo and Jonny in stitches of laughter, Chantelle looking like she wanted to laugh but she didn't want to hurt Serena's feelings and Jac and Henrik looking amused but trying not to let one. "She tells him she's not paying three hundred quid to replace a steering rack that's not broken, jumps under the ramp and shows him the loose wishbone and worn ball joint. She hands him a ratchet and tells him, 'Get on with it then.' Poor lad didn't know what hit him."

Even Jac sniggered at that one. Serena had to hand it to him - he did a good impersonation of her.

"Never take her in a garage," Edward advised them with a wisdom she wanted to forcibly beat out of him. "She'll have them all out of a job and the place ticking over like clockwork."

"Have you finished embarrassing me yet?" Serena drawled at him, trying to sound bored rather than irritated.

"Oh, but this is fun, Ms. Campbell!" Harry protested. "I didn't know half of these things about you."

"Yeah, it's about time someone unravelled Ms. Campbell for us," Jonny boldly added. Serena made a mental note never to let Edward near her colleagues while they were drinking; it was a bad combination. She sank into her seat, decidedly wound up, and plotted to get her own back.

"It's only a bit of fun," Edward assured her. "Anyway, you've got nothing to be worried about. It's not like you've cheated or got too far out of line, is it?"

"Unlike some," she muttered darkly, wondering whether it would be crossing a line to let everyone know just how they had separated. She wanted to own her side of the street, but she didn't want to sound as bitter about it as she actually was.

She knew that she was being made to sound like a right horror story, but she had to admit that she had already painted a similar picture herself.

Chantelle, suddenly, spoke. "Ms. Campbell's not that bad," she defended Serena, who smiled thankfully at her.

"Oh, no," Edward agreed. Serena looked around to find Hanssen quietly enjoying himself. He was as irritating as Edward but in a polar opposite way; she wanted to knock their heads together. "No, Serena is the most beautiful, funny, intelligent woman I've ever met."

The compliment stunned Serena and she felt everyone's eyes boring into her, expecting a response of some sort. "And there's a reason your nickname is 'Satan,'" she retorted. "You're the spawn of the Devil."

"Now now," she heard Hanssen warn her. "Play nice."

Edward brushed it off and continued to tell the story of how she had proven a garage full of qualified and almost-qualified mechanics wrong.

Jac said to her, "You sure you don't want me to break his face for you?"

The wine must have been going to her head, because she answered the redhead quietly, "There's more than one way to skin a cat. Watch and learn, my friend."

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**Hope this is OK!  
Please feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think!  
Sarah x**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm glad everyone seems to be finding this entertaining :) thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing!**

**Sarah x**

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"I remember when she was twenty-six, she managed to get her leg stuck between the springs of a trampoline," Edward recalled the night they had stupidly gone on a trampoline drunk at a summer party they had attended.

They had been bouncing up and down until something went wrong and their feet both hit the plastic mesh and she had bounced backwards. Unable to stabilise herself, a leg had fallen between two springs, stuck there for an hour while friends acquired Vaseline, butter, washing up liquid and anything else that would have helped her leg slip out and Edward tried to force her leg out the 'good old-fashioned way.'

"Yeah, that was _not_ funny," Serena tried to shoot him down. "It was your idea anyway." He had been the one to suggest a shot on the trampoline after one too many drinks.

"You were more drunk than I was."

"True," she admitted unwillingly. "But I wasn't the one who decided to try and yank it out. You nearly ripped my leg apart."

She had almost forgotten she was surrounded by colleagues and friends until she heard stifled giggles; she looked up and found Michael trying and failing to force back laughter. Serena glared at him. "I'm sorry. It's just the image of Serena Campbell drunk, on a trampoline, with her leg stuck," he explained, the last four words lost in a fit of giggles. She resisted the temptation to knock the American's head off his shoulders only because she knew it was rare for Michael to get a good laugh.

Before she could exercise control over them, everyone was laughing. Jac was laughing apologetically, and even Hanssen was wearing a truly amused smile. Again she didn't have the heart to berate Henrik for it; he rarely smiled and it was good to see him relax.

"I can handle my drink better than him anyway!" Serena protested with a finger pointed at her ex-husband. "One night we were at my mother's and Edward was so bloody legless that he actually _wanted_ to sleep in her bath." Harry seemed to find this hilarious, and Serena had no doubt he'd probably done something along those lines himself. He seemed the type to drink first and think later when his head was pounding in the morning.

"Yeah, but you once slept in next door's tree house when we lived in the US," Edward pointed out. "Mind you, didn't we have a row that night? I'm pretty sure you were proving a point."

"One of your infamous glares didn't work?" Hanssen dared to ask.

She only vaguely heard him as recalled the cold night she had chosen to be stubborn and sleep outdoors – the middle of January, after an argument they had had not long after they had got together; she could not recall how it started but remembered screaming at him that she didn't need him or his house, and trampling barefoot across the damp garden and into a neighbour's, climbing the ladder to the kids' treehouse.

"He was being an arse," she dismissed when she was back from American winters of the past. She hated to admit the next bit, because it was a demonstration of all the good in Edward, but if she didn't, she knew he would. "It started snowing at three in the morning so he jumped the fence and carried me back home because I was being stubborn and didn't have any shoes."

"Awwwww!" Chantelle squealed. She realised now that she had made him sound like a perfect gentleman which, admittedly, he was capable of being. But he was also capable of being a right old sod, a side he always kept well hidden.

"And they say chivalry is dead," Mo chipped in.

"It is now," Jac commented cynically.

"Anyway," Serena said clearly above them. "At least I've got my wits about me if I'm sober. Three times, in America, this one," she jabbed a thumb towards Edward, "got stopped for drink driving, and all three times he was stone cold sober." He held up his hands in admission that his driving was less than brilliant.

"Nobody is _that_ bad a driver," Mo answered incredulously. "Not even me!"

"He is. It's a miracle Ellie and I are still alive really."

"It's a miracle they never took my license off me!" Edward added,. "I don't even know how I passed my test."

"Bribed the examiner?" Serena suggested.

"I passed first time, thank you very much!" Edward reminded her. "You only passed fourth time."

"Shut up," she grumbled childishly.

Everyone descended into laughter – even Jac and Hanssen – at the bickering and the attempts to out-do each other with ridiculous stories. There was a big enough wealth to pick and choose from, from both sides of the Atlantic and both sides of their divorce. Serena got up for another glass of wine and found it wasn't quite as bad as she had anticipated, despite Edward embarrassing her. It was good to remember the fun they had when the betrayal so often overshadowed it.

She was suddenly accompanied by Michael. "You OK, 'Rena?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she sighed, ignoring his childish use of the one name she hated as she was waiting for the barmaid to get to her. "He just...gets under my skin," she confessed grudgingly.

"Nobody upsets our baby 'Rena and gets away with it," he asserted, although he was slightly drunk so she didn't have it in her to berate him for it. Actually, Edward had been plying the American with booze for the past hour so he'd gone slightly beyond the stage of 'slightly drunk.' He had embraced her in a suffocating hug.

"I'm not upset," she denied so he would stop breaking her ribs. When she glanced across at the crowd of her colleagues, she was slightly startled to see a flash of jealousy in Edward's eyes. _Oh no_, she thought to herself. _He does not get off with that_.

"He's annoying you though."

"He's done nothing but annoy me for the best part of twenty years," Serena commented fairly. "Same again, please," she added to the barmaid.

"You know, I'm pretty sure Naylor would gleefully castrate him if he steps too far out of line," Michael grinned. Serena couldn't help but laugh at him. The barmaid handed her a drink and they returned to their seats.

"When was this?" Hanssen was asking, and she was uncomfortable to find him interested in whatever story was being told. Not only would she have no secrets left, she was starting think she was going to have no job by the end of the night as well.

"1996," Edward answered.

"What was in 1996?" Serena quickly demanded. She cast her mind back, trying to remember everything that happened that year but she drew a blank, having blocked out a lot of the things that happened around about that time.

"Oh, I was just telling them about when we went to DisneyWorld with Eleanor," Edward smiled. Oh, Christ. Thank was months before everything had started to fall apart. "She was only a baby but I think Serena enjoyed herself more than anyone. Stayed in a big palace hotel and went to all he parks."

"Yeah, yeah, Mickey Mouse, I know," she moaned, recalling the most memorable moment of that particular holiday. She waited for him to make her sound like immature child she had probably acted. All adulthood had went out the window the moment she had set foot in that place, the child in her coming out for two weeks.

"Mickey Mouse?" Hanssen asked. Serena didn't like this now that Hanssen was enjoying himself – it was always a bad sign, since what he seemed to enjoy more than anything else in the world was her suffering.

"She practically kidnapped him," Edward explained.

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't."

"Wait, wait, wait," Jonny halted them. "You're trying to tell us that Serena Campbell turned into a kid when she went to DisneyWorld?!" Edward nodded and Jonny, laughing, said, "I don't believe you!"

"Yeah, you should've seen her. Bouncing around like a...well, a kid in DisneyWorld, I guess," Edward laughed. "Actually, I'm sure I managed to transfer the photo onto my phone."

"Edward!" Serena protested, realising now what photo he was on about. She watched in despair as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "I mean it, Edward, don't!" He had the evil look about him, the one that earned him his nickname, as he unlocked the phone. At her wit's end, she stood up rather unsteadily and tried to lean across to grab it from him. She was vaguely aware of two sets of hands stopping her from falling over as she tried to snatch his phone away from him.

"Sit back down, Serena," Jac advised her when she stumbled forwards as Edward pulled the phone way out of her reach. "Before you hurt yourself."

She glared at Edward as Jac guided her back to her seat. She was not impressed when he handed the phone to Harry. "Christ, she was pretty hot!" he exclaimed. "Bet Mickey Mouse was loving that."

"Henrik, slap him for me," she ordered Hanssen. She was surprised when he obeyed, smacking Harry on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Harry shouted, rubbing the back of his head and giving Serena a sense of satisfaction. Serena just smiled to herself until she realised Hanssen was now looking at the photo, presumably seeing a thirty-year-old version of her, in a low cut pink t-shirt and denim shorts, lilac Converse high-tops up to her ankles, arms wrapped around Mickey Mouse. "He's got a point though," Henrik muttered, shocking Serena as he leaned across her to give Jac the phone. She attempted to grab him arm but he was stronger than her.

She sighed as Jac looked at the photo, and Serena looked from the side, seeing the absence of bitterness in her smile in a time where she had a perfect family, the Floridian sun beating down on her pale skin. Just looking at the picture, she felt the humidity and extreme heat once more, the excitement and happiness she had felt very rarely since.

Jonny and Michael looked together, Michael grinning appreciatively, before passing it to Mo and Chantelle, who appreciated how 'cute' Serena Campbell once was.

"Didn't you get really bad sunburn on your chest that day?" Edward asked as he retrieved his phone from Chantelle. Serena raised an eyebrow at him, recalling that, yes, her chest had been burned. In her excitement she had forgotten about putting sun block on at midday. "Never heard you complain so much."

"It was bloody sore, that's why!" she half-shouted. "You're OK. You never burn. You somehow managed two weeks in Florida, in the height of summer, and not a spot of sunburn."

"Yeah, sunburn _is_ sore," Chantelle backed Serena up. "My mum had it when we went to Spain."

She was thankful that Chantelle was defending her at every turn while everyone else seemed to take great delight at hearing the stories of who she used to be. "Thank you, Chantelle!" Serena exclaimed, feeling vindicated for the complaining she had done seventeen years ago.

Jac leaned in and said, "You know, we could poison his drink."

"Don't think I've never been tempted," Serena replied, watching Edward with irritation as he had fun telling Harry just how much she had moaned about her sunburn in Florida.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the way to get one over was not to tell the world how stupid he could be, but to capitalise on what she had seen in him from the bar: jealousy. There were two men here around about her age, both of whom she was more than capable of manipulating. Since Edward laughed at his own stupidity, Serena was beginning to think that the only way to wind him up was to use what she knew and tried to forget what he still felt for her.

With that in mind, she noticed Hanssen's empty glass and leaned over, her hand on his leg. "Want another?"

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**Hope this is OK!  
Please feel free to leave a review and tell me your thoughts!  
Sarah x**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm enjoying embarrassing Serena! Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed!**

**Sarah x**

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When Serena returned she heard the mention of Harvard and bars and realised Edward was hell bent on embarrassing her. It had always been that Edward's big mouth had caused the fights and Serena prevented them from happening. Unless, of course, she had felt Edward had earned what he was threatened with, in which case he had been left to fight his own corner. While she had defended him, if she thought he was wrong, he was on his own, something he had quickly learned.

"She was offered two record deals in the space of less than a year," Edward explained. Oh, no. That had been a joke he had played on her, though he had repeatedly denied he had anything to do with it for the past twenty years. There were a lot of things he repeatedly denied, and a lot of things she repeatedly told him he was lying about.

"That was a drunken prank and you know it," she snapped.

"It wasn't!" Edward insisted. "Honestly, Serena. How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"You can tell me until you're blue in the face," Serena shrugged. "You forget that I know you, Edward, and your sense of humour."

"At least I've got one," he muttered into his glass. "Anyway, that's beside the point. The _point_ is that you're a woman of many talents who only values two of them: business and medicine."

"I don't _have _any other talents," she growled at him, feeling vulnerable and weakened by what he was revealing. Michael was watching her carefully, as if ready to dive between her and Edward if she decided to slap him. Hanssen was resting an arm towards her, ready to restrain her if she lost her temper. Jac was leaning into her slightly – reassurance. Was she really that volatile?

Jonny picked that moment to chip in with the question of, "If you don't have any other talents, Ms. Campbell, then why would you be approached twice by record labels?"

"He," she nodded at Edward, "and his friends decided it would be funny to embarrass me in front of a whole pub. Twice. Even went as far as making business cards and crap like that," she explained.

"It wasn't a joke!" Edward half-shouted, his calm and playful demeanour shaken. "Honest to God, woman! Don't you ever relent?!"

Mo got up and stood between Serena and Edward as they both rose, ready to confront each other over the silliest of matters. "Come on. No need to get upset. OK?" she said to Serena, who felt Jac's hand on one wrist, Hanssen's wrapped tightly around on the other. "Edward, why don't you go and get another drink?" Mo advised him. Edward nodded.

When he passed, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to glare at him. "Sorry, Serena." She reluctantly nodded her acceptance of his apology as she sat down. If this was how he was going to act then she had no reservations about using Michael and Hanssen and their tipsiness to her advantage.

When she spotted Edward coming back from the bar, she leaned over to Hanssen and whispered in his ear, "Thank you for not letting me kill him," with a mischievous grin. He gave a low and confused chuckle, and she was satisfied to see a sourness in Edward's smile as he sat down.

"No problem," Hanssen whispered back. "Wouldn't want you locked up for murder, would we?"

"I thought me being locked up was what you wanted more than anything else in the world," she laughed; Edward was busying himself speaking to Chantelle and Harry, still going on about the two occasions Serena had allegedly been offered her life made for her on a plate. He was, as she had said to Ric, an infuriating man. She frequently resisted the urge to verbally rip him apart for the sake of argument, as it was usually not worth the headache she always suffered afterwards.

"...so up walks this man as she gets off the stage after singing karaoke in the pub. She's half-cut and doesn't see him, walks straight into him," Edward recounted. "He stops her and says, 'Hey, young lady. Mighty fine job you did up there. We need a voice like yours,'" he continued in his best attempt at the Southern American accent she recalled that man possessed. "Shows her his card. She laughs and says, 'Ha ha, very bloody funny. Do I look like I fell in the last rain shower?' and just walks away from him."

Looking back, Serena realised that the look of shock on Edward's face had been equal to hers. That time, at least, he had had nothing to do with it. She was just too blinded by resentment and a secret lack of self-esteem that she hadn't seen it until now. The second time, nine months later, she still held reservations about.

"That wasn't you, was it?" Serena said slowly, grabbing Edward's attention. "You were speechless. I remember. That actually wasn't your doing."

"Oh, now she realises!" Edward exclaimed with a sarcasm heavy in his voice and his arms thrown upwards in despair. "You could have had anything you wanted and you turned it down because you don't believe in your own ability unless it's to do with business or surgery," he ranted. She often forgot that her attitude could wind him up as much as his did her.

"I have all I want," she retorted, though it was a lie. One thing was missing, and he had destroyed it.

With a sigh, he backtracked to the story. "Less than a year later, she's in the same pub, singing the same song, and another guy from some big record label pulls her over. That time she said, 'Yeah, yeah, hilarious. Comic bloody genius. Go away.' Poor man didn't know what to do with himself!"

"When was this?" Hanssen asked interestedly, and Serena had a feeling that he was taking too much pleasure in digging into her history.

"1994," Serena answered before Edward could.

"So you would have been, what? Twenty-seven? Twenty-eight?" Michael asked. "What were you singing?"

"'Runaway Train,'" Edward supplied fondly. "She had half the place in tears and she hadn't even shouted at anyone," he laughed. Serena made a face at him.

"I remember when that was first released!" Michael exclaimed. Of course he did. "It was in the charts for like three months."

"Yeah, it's a good song," concurred Edward.

"Go on then," Mo urged her.

"Yeah!" Jonny backed his best friend up.

"What?" Serena asked suspiciously, though already had an unpleasant feeling about what they wanted.

"Yeah, 'Rena," Michael piped up, and he received a glare simply for using her pet name. "Sing it."

"No, no, no!" she protested. "I can't even sing!"

"You can," Hanssen contradicted her. She looked at him questioningly. "I've heard you singing to yourself when you think nobody is there." The truth was, of course, that the song was one that now meant something to her, and she was rarely able to sing it without feeling quite hurt. It was a song about how easy it was to get hurt when you let yourself get lost in the concept of being love – being on a runaway train.

"Please?" Chantelle asked. Her angelic face made it impossible for even Serena to deny her.

"Fine," she sighed. Edward winked at Harry. "_I'm worried about you; I'm worried about me; the curves around midnight aren't easy to see_," she sang quietly, and she noticed that people from surrounding table had fallen silent. "_Flashing red warnings, unseen in the rain; this thing has turned into a runaway train; long-distance phone calls; a voice on the line; electrical miles that soften the time; dynamite too, is hooked on the wire; and so are the rails of American flyers_," she kept going. She felt the lump in her throat forming but would not stop for the sake of memories. "_Blind boys and gamblers; they invented the blues; we'll pay up in blood when this marker comes due; to try and get off now, it's about as insane; as those who wave lanterns at runaway trains_."

Despite her determination she could not keep going for fear of making an even greater idiot of herself. Nervously, she avoided everyone's gazes until someone spoke. Jac. "And you wonder why they wanted you signed?"

"My point exactly!" Edward said, and she knew he was taking great pleasure in being proven right.

She wanted the ground to open and swallow her up; it had just dawned on her that she had made herself look like a fool in front of those she most respected and who were meant to be respecting her. But they did not laugh. In fact, as she looked around she saw them all stunned. Harry let out a sharp bark of a laugh, more shocked than anything else. Chantelle's mouth was hanging open. Michael just grinned knowingly, probably only because he was _slightly _drunk. Jonny and Mo glanced at each other with smirks. Edward, however, was the one that Serena truly felt like flooring.

Thoroughly embarrassed and needing to escape so she could breathe freely, she got up and said, "I have to go to the bathroom, if you'll excuse me," with a smile.

She half-ran into the bathrooms and stood before the mirror. The woman in the mirror was not one she knew. Her intoxicated body was relaxed and yet still wound up by the presence of a man who had a talent for it. "Pull yourself together, Serena," she muttered to herself. "Don't let him win."

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, you know," the familiar voice of Jac Naylor said behind her. "Or at least that's what Sharon says. Personally I think it's good to tell yourself off once in a while," the redhead smiled into the mirror behind Serena. "You OK?"

"Yeah," smiled Serena. "He's just..."

"...your typical, smug, arrogant, irritating ex-husband?" Jac supplied.

Serena let out a laugh. "Yeah, something like that." She turned around to face Jac. "He's just reminded me who I used to be. I used to be alright, you know. Not the person I am now."

"There's nothing wrong with who you are now," Jac said. "You keep us lot in line, don't you? And when Spence and Maconie are involved, _that_ is an achievement and a half," she added with a grin. "Look, Serena, he's hurt you already. Let him have his fun but make sure he knows he can't hurt you anymore."

Serena smiled in the knowledge that Jac was not the cold woman she appeared. "Thanks."

"No problem," the younger woman grinned. "Now let's go and remind him what you're made of." With smiles they left together, Serena getting another drink before she sat down, deliberately placing a hand on Hanssen's thin shoulder.

"_Another_ drink?" he demanded, eyeing the large glass balefully. Part of her wondered whether he just disapproved of her drinking habits or if he was genuinely concerned that she was going to go off on a bit of a bender.

"You're gonna be stoatin' drunk by the time you leave here," Jonny pointed out. She just shrugged; drunk sounded like a good state to be in to her right now. As long as she didn't drive home, she knew this lot would keep her safe, and anyone else she would threaten or otherwise inadvertently put in harm's way. "Each to their own then," Jonny smiled.

"Are you alright?" Hanssen asked so only she would hear.

She leaned in a bit closer to him than was strictly necessary when she replied, "I'm fine, Henrik."

She patted his arm reassuringly, to which he gave her an odd look of a cross between annoyance, amusement and – though she was convinced it was the alcohol talking – care. Meanwhile, Edward was glancing at her suspiciously, and she knew what he was thinking. He was thinking that there was something between her and Hanssen, and he didn't like it. His jealous clear blue eyes told her that much.

Serena leaned in towards Jac and said quietly with a nod towards Edward, "Men are so predictable. Don't you find it boring?"

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**Hope this is OK!  
Please feel free to review and tell me your thoughts!  
Sarah x**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: HELLO. I'm binge writing. Definitely not a normal thing to do. But it help when I'm nervous :P thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing!**

**Sarah x**

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"We almost didn't get married at all," Edward announced. He was thoroughly half-cut now, and his tongue was becoming looser by the minute. She contemplated cutting his tongue out but decided it was no good. He was bound to find another way to say what he wanted. Unlike her, he didn't repel technology.

"Hmmm," Serena reminisced. "I should've listened to Dad. He was right about you," she reminded Edward with a sarcastically sweet smile.

"Maybe, but the generalisation was unfair!" protested Edward. "He hated me the minute he met me!"

A grin spread across Jonny's face; he seemed to realise why Serena's father had initially objected to her marrying Edward. "Your dad didn't happen to be Scottish, did he, Ms. Campbell?" the nurse asked with a smile. Serena nodded and Jonny began to laugh.

"Am I missing something?" Jac demanded of the father of her child.

"My dad was a McKinnie," Serena explained. "He hated the Campbells with a passion. What was it he called you?" she asked Edward, struggling to remember the exact words her father had used the first and only time his temper snapped and he verbally assaulted his son-in-law.

"I believe he said I was a 'cheating, lying, sleekit Campbell traitor.' Not something I was going to forget," he explained with a smile. Jonny was laughing into Mo's arm, seemingly endlessly entertained by Serena's dad's outdated views. His whole life, he had upheld old-fashioned values and traditional allegiances and rivalries, driving his wife and daughter mad in the process.

"'Sleekit?'" Hanssen asked, an eyebrow raised. This was the first time Serena had seen the Swede with his guard down, though forced by the copious amounts of alcohol both she and Edward had plied him with.

"It means 'sly' or 'devious,'" Serena translated for him.

When Jonny finally collected himself, he proceeded to explain to those around him, who all wore blank looks, why Edward had been addressed as such. "If this were eighteenth century Scotland, Serena and I would be allies and we would both be essentially at war with Edward. To be fair, most of the Highlanders would have been at war with Edward. There was a whole big thing where the Campbells sided with the English and murdered the MacDonalds at Glencoe. The MacKinnons and the Camerons weren't huge fans of the Campbells."

Edward snorted into his glass. "Understatement of the millennium."

"Yeah, Dad didn't much like me marrying a Campbell," Serena admitted. "It took Mum ages to talk him round. I don't think he gave me his blessing until a fortnight before the wedding."

"Yeah, but he and Adrienne did a lovely song for our first dance," Edward reminded her. "'Mhairi's Wedding.'"

"Oh, yeah!" Serena exclaimed.

She watched in horror as Edward stood up and held out his hand to her. "Come on. For old times' sake?"

Against her better judgement – she blamed the alcohol – she took his warm hand, letting him lead her to the closest empty space, between Hanssen, Jonny, Harry and Michael. "_Step we gaily, on we go; heel for heel and toe for toe; arm in arm and row on row; all for Mhairi's wedding_."

There arms linked, hands cupped on each other's elbows, Serena felt that bond with him she had tried to bury, and was compelled to sing back to him. "_Over hillways, up and down_," she sang gently as the performed a slow reel her father had burned into their memories, "_myrtle green a__nd bracken brown; past the sheilings through the town; all for sake of Mhari_."

He linked their arms and turned with her again, and this time she started to smile they sang together. "_Step we gaily, on we go; heel for heel and toe for toe; arm in arm and row on row; all for Mhairi's wedding_."

He did not let her hands go, so they ended up dancing very close to each other. "_Red her cheeks as rowans are_," he sang gently to her, and she felt herself blushing as her eyes locked on his. "_Bright her eyes as any star; fairest of them all by far; that's my darlin' Mhairi_."

For just a moment she was lost in his gaze. She was young again, a long white gown trailing behind her, thick wavy hair falling to below her shoulders. "_Step we gaily, on we go_," she sang with Edward, hearing her father, though he was long dead, in the background, smiling and singing with her, the sand cool between her toes as night fell on the lochside."_H__eel for heel and toe for toe; arm in arm and row on row; all for Mhairi's wedding_."

She watched as Edward smiled down on her, reminding her there was another verse for her to sing. "_Plenty herring, plenty meal; plenty peat to fill her kreel; plenty bonnie bairns as well; that's our wish for Mhairi_."

He pulled her close as they turned slowly and in time, and her absent mind allowed him to lead her as she automatically pitched her voice with his. "_Step we gaily, on we go; heel for heel and toe for toe; arm in arm and row on row; all for Mhairi's wedding_."

They stopped turning, their bodies pressed together by the dance; she felt his heart beating against her body...or was it her own heart simply beating too hard? He stroked her hair gently, his smile gentle as he leaned into her slightly.

Serena suddenly felt many pairs of eyes burning through her. When she turned, it was to disbelieving smiles. Mo, Jac and Jonny looked very much like the three amigos, grinning widely at what they had just witnessed. Chantelle looked like she was about to squeal. Hanssen was drunk. Ish. She couldn't quite tell. He was too good at hiding it. Serena stepped back from Edward, kicking herself for allowing what she had once felt for Edward Campbell bubble to the surface again. Despite the irritation she felt towards herself, she sat back down next to Jac with a soft smile.

"Our wedding was beautiful," Edward recalled with a wide smile. "Up in the Highlands on this massive country estate. Whole thing by the loch, on the beach. Stayed in the little house near the beach overnight before we got the plane to Egypt the next day."

Serena remembered dancing under the midnight sky, clear of everything but the moon and the stars. "Having it by that loch must have been the one thing you pandered to Dad over," she smiled, probably more fondly than she would have liked. "And then Mum chose the decorations. And, being the woman she is, she opted for fairy lights and lanterns and a great big fancy white marquee."

"You loved it really," Edward accused.

"Sounds like the perfect wedding," Jonny admitted, and Serena didn't miss the sly glance at Jac when he said it.

Michael was grinning like the idiot he was; Serena was just waiting for him to start on her. But when he spoke, Serena was surprised. "Do you know how _weird_ it is to hear you talk about Mom and Dad and your perfect wedding day?" he asked her, slightly drunkenly. "Even though I've met your mom, I still find it hard to believe you were actually born and were a kid and a teenager, rather just materialising onto Earth like you are now."

"_You've_ met my mother?" Serena demanded hotly. She was very protective of Adrienne, so the news that she had met the cocky American rattled her ever so slightly, even though she knew Michael was harmless.

"Yeah. First time she was admitted, I was having a bad time on AAU so I went up to Keller for a break and we got talking," he shrugged. "She's really nice. What the hell happened to _you_?" he teased her with a smile. "They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree but...jeez. You're nothing like her!"

"Actually, Adrienne is just as stubborn as Serena is," Edward reasoned fairly. "Even if she's not as aggressive about it." Serena made a face at her ex-husband. Though she was more relaxed with his presence, and again it was probably only because she was drinking, he was still saying and doing things she wished he wouldn't. She was slightly torn; she had forgotten how much fun the man could actually be, and how endearing and gentle he was capable of being with her. And yet she wished he wouldn't, because she was scared she was going to let him in again. It was maddening.

She had given up on trying to make him jealous. He knew she was trying to do it. That was the problem – he knew her too well for her ever to get one over on him.

Needing some space again, she excused herself to go to the bar. After less than a minute, an arm was slung loosely around her neck. She looked up, expecting Jonny or Harry to have become daring and familiar, but when she saw who it was she was slightly taken aback.

"Henrik, are you drunk?" she hissed quietly. He shrugged and asked the bartender for another drink. "Yeah, you're drunk," she quickly concluded.

Glad to see him loosened up and enjoying himself, she patted his back and put her arm around his waist to keep him upright, in case he really was _that_ drunk. "You looked content," he commented, obviously sober enough to talk.

"When?"

"Earlier, when you and Edward were reliving your wedding day," he explained. "It's the most contented I've ever seen you."

She let out a soft laugh. "It wasn't all bad. It only got nasty when he started cheating on me," she said, barely believing she was finally opening up about what happened, and that it was to Henrik Hanssen she was opening up. "To be fair, Mum's got a point. I push people away. It doesn't make what he did right, or any less painful, but it's easier to understand," she admitted for the first time that Edward was not the only one who had been at fault.

"I'm not the only one who's a little drunk," Hanssen smiled down at her as they were handed their drinks. "Did you love him?" he asked her. She nodded. "And it's obvious he loves you, even now. So, basically, if you hadn't blocked him out and he hadn't cheated on you, you would still be married."

"That's what happens when you're young, dumb and in love," she sighed, fingering the stem of her glass absentmindedly. "You forget that people clash." She felt him gently squeeze her shoulders lightly and she started laughing to herself.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

She looked up at him, his eyes shining with effects of the alcohol that was causing this kind friendliness. "We really shouldn't drink so much."

"I wouldn't even be here if Chantelle hadn't made me feel guilty," he asserted.

"Who knew that Chantelle Lane has the power to soften the Swedish heart of steel?!" she exclaimed, grinning up at him. She raised her glass. "Here's to getting pissed and looking like morons," she toasted. He tapped his glass against hers and drank with a smile. "Come on," she beamed, leading him back to his seat.

She sat beside Jac and watched Edward talking to Jonny; the pair seemed to instantly hit it off and she knew why. They were both charming, friendly and slightly immature. It was why Harry had got on well with Edward as well.

"I'm confused," Jac whispered to her. "You still love him."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Serena scolded her.

"That look in your eyes when you were dancing with him?" Jac pointed out. "You still love him."

"Oh, for Christ's sake! No, I don't!" sighed Serena. She didn't love him. She didn't. She didn't. She didn't.

"You do."

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**Hope this is OK!  
Please feel free to drop me a review and tell me your thoughts!  
Sarah x**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I don't know why I even wrote this. It's a bitty odd, haha. But thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed!**

**Sarah x**

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"Remember that time you and Dad were drinking and you tried to make out you were stronger than him?" Serena giggled to Edward. She was starting to lose focus on keeping him at arm's length. She couldn't help it – everything was coming back to her now, and the good, in her slightly drunken haze, was outweighing the bad.

"Yeah," he laughed. "Nearly took my arm out the socket! I challenged him to an arm wrestle, not to see who could do the most damage to each other!" Serena could only laugh at the indignant expression he was wearing at the memory of the one and only time Serena's father had physically hurt him.

"That's what you get for getting cocky with my dad," Serena shrugged. "Your own fault really."

A grin spread across Harry's face, and Serena didn't like that arrogant look in his face. The young man thought rather a lot of himself, and it could become not only irritating, but quite worrying too. "I bet I'm stronger than all of you!" he boasted.

"'Mon then, wee man," Jonny piped up. He cleared the table, everyone taking their drinks out of the way, and leaned his elbow on the flat surface. "Unless you're scared I'll beat you?"

Looking slightly affronted, Harry sat opposite. "You ain't got a hope in hell, Tressler," Mo grinned. Admittedly, Harry did look like a skinny little posh boy next to Jonny, who was quite muscular.

"Don't embarrass yourself," Jac advised Harry wisely.

Harry ignored them and joined hands with Jonny, who was already grinning; the contest was already won. Harry just was too full of himself to see he was beaten before he had even started. Just as Serena had predicted to herself, it didn't take long for Jonny to start overpowering Harry, and soon Harry's hand was against the dark wood.

"Who's next?" Jonny grinned. Mo stood up and locked hands with Jonny. She put up more of a fight than Harry had, and had pushed Jonny back a fair bit before he managed to fight back and beat her. The woman was stronger than she looked.

Michael stood up and walked – well, stumbled – around the table to sit opposite Jonny. "Oh, Michael," Serena laughed. "You can't possibly be expecting to win in that state!" He made a face at her and proceeded to take Jonny's hand regardless. To Serena's amazement, he fought hard against Jonny's strength, and slowly but surely pushed the Scot's hand down to the table. "You have _got_ to be kidding!" Serena exclaimed, shocked that Michael had pulled it off.

Michael winked at her. "Come on, Naylor," he challenged the redhead, who, never one to deny anyone a fight, sat down where Jonny had been sitting. She was wearing a confident smile; she didn't look exceptionally strong but it wouldn't have surprised Serena if she was in face capable of beating Michael.

Their hands joined and did not move for over a minute as Jac fought Michael's strength, never breaking her stare from his. The steely determination in her eyes was something to behold, though not even remotely surprising. Michael started to give a little, looking a bit horrified as she forced his hand down until it hit the table. Jac grinned triumphantly.

"Mr. Hanssen?" she offered, leaning her arm up for him. Everyone looked around, and Serena was surprised when he knelt down to Jac's level and took her hand. It was almost frightening the levels of determination that came from them both as they stared each other out. "Bloody _hell_!" Jac gasped. "You're strong!"

A smile broke across Hanssen's face as he slowly defeated her. It was with a bitter reluctance that Jac's hand went down. When he released her hand, she stretched her fingers with her mouth open in shock.

"Chantelle?" Hanssen asked the young blonde, offering her a contest. She looked like a bunny rabbit caught in headlights.

"Oh, no, Mr. Hanssen," she smiled. "I couldn't."

"Oh, go on, Chantelle," Serena encouraged her. How often did the Swede act so human? Everyone had to get what they could from it, didn't they? Edward guided Chantelle down in a slightly paternal fashion, like he did with Eleanor.

"Please don't hurt me," Chantelle pleaded. Serena just burst into giggles at the genuine worry in the girl's face; did she not understand that Henrik Hanssen would never hurt her? "I didn't mean it when I made it sound like you were a rapist!" she said.

Serena looked at Jac, who just shrugged.

"What the hell are you an about?" Harry laughed.

"One my first day here, I accidentally suggested that he looked like a rapist," Chantelle explained.

"That was over two years ago," Hanssen reminded her. "What on Earth would give you the impression I would hold a grudge over that?!" Chantelle shrugged, still looking extremely apprehensive, and refused to take Hanssen's hand. "Oh, don't be silly, Chantelle. Of course I'm not going to hurt you!"

With a small, slightly terrified smile, she took his hand. They fought quietly, and everyone was shocked when Chantelle started winning – Chantelle included. She was adorably astounded as she watched her hand move Hanssen's into defeat. Her mouth fell open when she beat him. When Hanssen sat back down, Serena whispered to him, "You let her win, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," he replied with a small smile; she had not realised that Hanssen was capable of being quietly sweet to see a smile on Chantelle's face.

Serena watched in amusement as Edward sat across from Chantelle and took her hand gently. Serena found it oddly endearing that Edward looked almost afraid of hurting Chantelle; in his defence, the girl did not come across as strong. She knew her ex-husband was strong – though not as much so as her dad had been – and she could tell he was barely trying. He was giving in a little to Chantelle every so often as she pushed against him with all her might until he eventually had her hand against the wood.

Serena smiled to herself as Chantelle sat down, looking quite relieved that she had been beaten and didn't have to wrestle anybody else.

"Come on, then, Serena," Edward smirked. "You're the only one left."

"No!" she protested. "No, no, no, no!" In twenty years, she had never arm wrestled Edward, and she fully intended it to stay that way. And besides, every time she had played this game with her mother or daughter, she had been hopeless at it unless she was on the floor and could balance her weight.

"Oh, I forgot," Edward tapped his head, seemingly reading her mind. "You can only do it on the floor." Immediately Chantelle, Harry, Jonny and Michael cleared the chairs from the floor for them to lie down. "Floor's clean enough," he added.

"Edward..."

"Everyone else has done it!" Michael reminded her childishly.

"OK, OK!" she half-shouted in frustration. "If I do it, will you all pipe down?!" she demanded. Everyone nodded enthusiastically, though she knew she could do whatever Michael wanted and he would _still_ sit and irritate her. Rolling her eyes, she scrambled haphazardly on the floor, convinced she would regret this when she tried to get back up again.

She put her elbow against the carpet and let him take her hand.

"One..." he said.

"...two..." she added.

"..._three_!"

They fought against each other, neither giving way the other. She had almost forgotten how strong Edward actually was; she did, however, put all her might into her own efforts, and she could tell he was struggling to beat her. Their hands had not moved even half an inch in either direction. He looked up and met her eyes, and she was slightly taken aback by the mischief shining in his eyes.

When it became clear neither hand was going nowhere, a grin spread across his face. "What?" she asked. He didn't say anything. "_What_?!"

Before she could stop him, he leapt forward and she felt his fingers tickling her stomach relentlessly. She rolled over in coerced submission, giggling against her will. "Stop it!" she laughed. "Ed, stop it!" Pleading did nothing to help her – he was enjoying himself too much. "That's cheating!" she gasped out.

"And?" he replied. He wouldn't stop tickling her, no matter how much she pleaded or kicked out. It reminded her of the early days of their marriage, when he would reduce her to a laughing heap at will.

She reached up and tried to push him off but he had weakened her. The only way was to get herself on top of him, but she was suddenly very conscious of how it would look to everyone watching. And they were watching, very closely. But there was no escaping it all. "Edward, please!" she begged him one last time, but his grin was evil and happy with the quiet amusement and affection he was stirring within her.

Serena saw no other option without asking for help; she wrapped her arms around his neck and floored him in one swift movement, straddling him to keep her balance. But it didn't disable his hands, and it was not very long before he forced her knees to give and she fell on top of him. Eventually he stopped, leaving Serena wondering whether her wide grin was a good reaction to his misbehaviour. She had forced this side to him into the back of her mind and tried to forget it. She would rather see him as a demon than acknowledge that he did love her. That always had done.

Their faces were mere inches apart; she smelled the sweetness from the cola and the alcoholic bitterness on his breath and she had the urge to lean down and taste it for herself. Before she had the chance to either resist or succumb, he leaned up and whispered in her ear, "Everyone's watching."

She looked up and found he was right. Jac was giving her a look that plainly said, 'I told you so.' Michael was looking annoyingly satisfied. Chantelle, Harry, Jonny and Mo were sharing odd looks Serena didn't even want to know the meaning behind. Hanssen was just smiling gently and quietly into his glass, and she didn't even try to interpret what was hiding behind that rare smile. She had just let Edward make her look like a giggling teenage girl in front of her colleagues – her boss, even – so why didn't she want to knock his head off his shoulders anymore?

She fell off of Edward's body and sat on the floor, glaring around at everyone, daring them to speak. Jac was clearly biting her tongue, and Serena didn't doubt that she was going to receive a lecture about falling for ex-husbands all over again. And as patronising as it was bound to be, Serena had a feeling someone needed to talk sense into her.

Edward helped her up, keeping his hand on the small of her back. It was things like that that made her wonder if he wasn't worth the second chance. He had even remembered to support her back as she stood up.

She sat back down next to Jac, who looked smug and self-satisfied as she drained her bottle. "Still denying it?" Jac asked quietly. Serena said nothing as she took a huge mouthful of wine to calm her down a little bit. "You were about two seconds away from kissing him," she accused.

"I wasn't," Serena lied.

"You were," Jac said with a finality that was impossible to argue with. "You know what happens when you fall for them again, don't you?"

"Make or break?" Serena answered her.

"Usually break. And it's usually your heart that gets broken."

Serena's head whipped around. "You think I don't already know what he's capable of?" she demanded of the younger woman. "I know he's bad news. I know he's cheated on me before. But..." she trailed away, unable to put into words the doubt he had infected her resolve with.

"Old habits die hard. But the habit of a lifetime isn't always a good one," Jac warned.

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**Hope this is OK!  
Please feel free to leave me a review and tell me your thoughts!  
Sarah x**


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